Friendships and Peer Groups

Friendships and Peer Groups

Middle childhood is a major developmental stage in which children get to understand themselves better and develop socially (Feldman, 2022). This development is essential in the development of fundamental and positive peer relations and friendships. As school presents a new challenge, these friendships and peer relations help improve the children’s well-being and adjustment to the school environment (Maunder & Monks, 2019).

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The child’s attachment patterns influence the formation of positive peer relationships and how such relations develop, change, and affect the child. Secure attachment formation with caregivers during infancy builds the bridge to forming positive peer relationships during middle childhood. Parents, or generally primary caregivers, help in the development of the child’s self-esteem and self-perception (Feldman, 2022). Having a secure attachment to parents can lead to a secure attachment to peers, which further influences the child’s socio-emotional development necessary for quality friendships in adulthood (Miljkovitch et al., 2021).

The concept of friendships in middle childhood is continuously changing (Feldman, 2022). Friendships occur in three stages. The stage 1 concept of friendship for a child is based on the behavior of others (Feldman, 2022). For instance, at ages 4-7, children will base their friendship on others, and they will share things such as toys or play together. At stage 2, friendships grow out of trust (Feldman, 2022). This means friendships are based on the quality of behavior, such as trust. At stage 3, friendships are based on psychological proximity or closeness (Feldman, 2022). At this stage, the child focuses on the stability of friendships from a psychological perspective. Majorly occurring between 11 and 15 years of age, the child is more focused on developing trustworthy relationships that can be held through to the adolescent stage.

Regardless of the stage of friendship, peer relationships can impact the life of the child during their middle childhood, either positively or negatively. The positive impacts of peer relationships in middle childhood include understanding their sexual differences and appreciating racial and sexual differences (Feldman, 2022). The peer relationships also provide emotional support as the child adjusts to the school and their development throughout life. They also understand how to communicate and solve social issues (Feldman, 2022). Additionally, such peer relationships also help the children understand themselves, accept who they are, and develop a sense of belonging among their peers. The negative side of peer relationships during middle childhood includes bullying from their peers based on their gender, race, or social background. This may lead to the child feeling excluded from their peers and ending up feeling lonely. Bullying can also lead to the child developing self-esteem issues and perform poorly at school. Of concern is that the psychological impact of peer bullying can last to adulthood and result in behavioral challenges (Norrington, 2021).

In Summary, adults play a significant role in children’s socialization, especially in the development of friendships and peer groups. For instance, when, developing, the child views the father as a source of confidence and protection. If the child develops with a present father who provides for the family and ensures they are all well, the child will view the father as a role model on how to relate with others within and outside of the family. A child raised in a caring environment is more likely to be caring about the wellness of others. Adults also model the child’s behaviors. Children observe and learn therefore if a child grows up in a family where the adults fight regularly, they are more likely to become chaotic as they grow.

 References

Feldman, R. S. (2022). Child development (9th ed.). Pearson.

Maunder, R., & Monks, C. P. (2019). Friendships in middle childhood: Links to peer and school identification, and general self-worth. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 37(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12268

Miljkovitch, R., Mallet, P., Moss, E., Sirparanta, A., Pascuzzo, K., & Zdebik, M. A. (2021). Adolescents’ Attachment to Parents and Peers: Links to Young Adulthood Friendship Quality. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30(6). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01962-y

Norrington, J. (2021). Adolescent Peer Victimization, Self-concept, and Psychological Distress in Emerging Adulthood. Youth and Society, 53(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/

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Everyone deserves the opportunity to have positive peer relationships. However, why are these peer relationships easy for some children to obtain and more difficult for others? How do children learn the ways of friendship—to be good friends to others and know how to obtain, keep, and make good friends for themselves? What are the characteristics of positive peer relationships? What qualities and behaviours in children enable positive peer relationships to form?

For this Assignment, you will examine peer relationships during middle childhood and reflect on how early attachment relationships with caregivers influences relationships during this period. You will also analyze the positive and negative impact of peer relationships during this stage of development.

To prepare:

Review the chapter readings, primarily focusing on Chapter 13 in your course text and the Week 4 required articles.
Think about how, and why, children make friends during middle childhood.
Think about why some children become popular while others are rejected. Consider the logical connection between early formation of attachment with caregivers, and the development of future relationships in middle childhood.
The Assignment (2–3 pages):

Reflect on the development of peer relationships. Provide specific support from the Week 4 readings for each of the following prompts. Include (but do not necessarily limit yourself to) the following:

Explain how secure attachment formation with caregivers during infancy might build a bridge to the formation of positive peer relationships during middle childhood.
Analyze friendships that occur throughout middle childhood. How do these relationships change during this span of time?
Explain the positive and negative impact of peer relationships during this time.
Summarize your thoughts about the role of adults in children’s socialization, particularly as it relates to the development of friendships and peer groups. Be sure to provide examples and justify your response.
Note: Support the responses within your Assignment with evidence from the course Learning Resources. Provide a Reference List of the resources you used for this assignment. The title page and Reference List do not count toward the 2- to 3-page paper length. Use APA style for in-text citations and references.

Resources:

Course Textbook

Feldman, R. S. (2022). Child development (9th ed.). Pearson.

Chapter 11, “Physical Development in Middle Childhood”
In this chapter, you will learn about physical development during middle childhood. Topics on body growth, brain maturation, and the importance of physical activity will be highlighted. Special topics related to health and well-being will also be covered (e.g., nutrition and sports participation), as well as speech problems, attention-deficit (ADHD), and hyperactivity.

Chapter 12, “Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood”
In this chapter, you will learn about cognitive development during middle childhood. Topics include Piaget’s stage of concrete operations, intelligence testing, and the child in school. Special consideration will be given to cultural differences and children with learning challenges. Traditional school vs. schooling alternatives and the ways in which intelligence can be measured will also be discussed.

Chapter 13, “Social and Personality Development in Middle Childhood”
In this chapter, you will learn about social/emotional development during middle childhood and explore topics including the ongoing development of self-concept and gender identity. Peer relationships are covered including the topics of sociometric status, bullying, and environmental impact. The child in the family will be discussed related to parents promoting self-regulation and the impact of disharmony and divorce.
Articles

Norrington, J. (2021). Adolescent peer victimization, self-concept, and psychological distress in emerging adulthoodLinks to an external site.. Youth and Society, 53(2), 273–295. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X20910938 (D, A)

Miljkovitch, R., Mallet, P., Moss, E., Sirparanta, A., Pascuzzo, K., & Zdebik, M. A. (2021). Adolescents’ attachment to parents and peers: Links to young adulthood friendship qualityLinks to an external site.. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30(5), 1441–1452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01962-y (D, A)

The article reports on a longitudinal study demonstrating the relationship between attachment styles and friendship interactions.

Writing Resources

Refer to the Writing Resources section found in the Start Here section of your classroom for help with APA 7.